Here’s Why You Should Stop Saying “Stressed” When You Mean “Anxious”

iStock/vgajicWe often use the words interchangeably, but stress and anxiety are two different beasts with subtle differences. So is your, say, family trouble giving you stress or anxiety?Stress is your body’s fight-or-flight reaction to a direct stressor, like finishing a project during crunch time or dealing with bumper-to-bumper traffic. “When we’re stressed, our body is stressed in the moment,” says Debra Kissen, PhD, MHSA, clinical director of Light on Anxiety Treatment Center. “Our brain thinks we’re in danger and need to deal with it immediately.”A little bit of stress is totally normal—and can actually be a good thing, says Aarti Gupta, PsyD, clinical director of anxiety and family therapy center TherapyNest. “Some stress on a person is a normal part of everyday life. This ‘good stress’ called ‘eustress’ can help propel you forward and motivate you to achieve goals,” she says. “Negative str...

iStock/vgajicWe often use the words interchangeably, but stress and anxiety are two different beasts with subtle differences. So is your, say, family trouble giving you stress or anxiety?Stress is your body’s fight-or-flight reaction to a direct stressor, like finishing a project during crunch time or dealing with bumper-to-bumper traffic. “When we’re stressed, our body is stressed in the moment,” says Debra Kissen, PhD, MHSA, clinical director of Light on Anxiety Treatment Center. “Our brain thinks we’re in danger and need to deal with it immediately.”A little bit of stress is totally normal—and can actually be a good thing, says Aarti Gupta, PsyD, clinical director of anxiety and family therapy center TherapyNest. “Some stress on a person is a normal part of everyday life. This ‘good stress’ called ‘eustress’ can help propel you forward and motivate you to achieve goals,” she says. “Negative str...

iStock/vgajicWe often use the words interchangeably, but stress and anxiety are two different beasts with subtle differences. So is your, say, family trouble giving you stress or anxiety?Stress is your body’s fight-or-flight reaction to a direct stressor, like finishing a project during crunch time or dealing with bumper-to-bumper traffic. “When we’re stressed, our body is stressed in the moment,” says Debra Kissen, PhD, MHSA, clinical director of Light on Anxiety Treatment Center. “Our brain thinks we’re in danger and need to deal with it immediately.”A little bit of stress is totally normal—and can actually be a good thing, says Aarti Gupta, PsyD, clinical director of anxiety and family therapy center TherapyNest. “Some stress on a person is a normal part of everyday life. This ‘good stress’ called ‘eustress’ can help propel you forward and motivate you to achieve goals,” she says. “Negative str...